Nomercy

As much as " how to hunt coyotes" and " what gun for coyotes" or sqrls etc. gets beat around here, I' d expect a bit more handgunning chatter? As far as I' m concerned, there isn' t much that beats taking a yote at 100yrds with a .44mag wheelgun, or at 20ft with a 1911, not to mention how much fun plinking rabbits and squirrels with .22lr pistols is!!! Am I the only one that varmints with handguns anymore? What' s your favorite set up if you do? Maybe mentioning stuff like that would get more people interested/thinking about it, and we' d have a better array of topics here on the boards?

bspittman

You' re right...it just never comes up. While I' ve never killed a yote with my pistol (ruger redhawk .44) I have killed several deer. As far as squirrel and rabbit it is a blast to get at em with a .22lr pistol. I use a Walther and I have a custom browning with a scope I use also. It' s probably the funnest way to hunt. You become a helluva shot too.

Howler

Well, I' m planning on doing some handgunning this winter on called coyotes. I got a couple last winter with the bow, so getting them close enough won' t be the problem. I' ll be using my .357 S&W, 8 1/2" open sighted barrel. I' ve got this idea in my head that I' m going to try that, when it works, it will be a rush. I made a decoy, used a real rabbit skin, wrapped and shaped it around styrofoam, and I' m going to rig it on the end of my boot. So that I can make it move up and down by moving my foot up and down, moving it according to the body language of the coyote. I hunt some very open country, so this should work really well, plus, a lot of the coyotes that I call in, don' t use the wind in thier favor, and come in relying on their sight alot of times, so this should be very effective. Hope to catch some good action on film!

pyral

Howler, the rabbit skin on styrofoam decoy idea is really cool, but I have a question about putting it on your boot. If you have a coyote approach you undetected from behind and actually pounces on this decoy as it would live/dying prey, don' t you think you might have a handfull in that situtation? Also, the general idea behind a decoy is to obviously give a coyote an animal to go with the call and to take attention away from you if you have that decoy 20-30yds away from you. If you put that decoy on your foot and a coyote comes in and spots it rightaway, he will detect even the slightest movement to get your gun in position or picking up a different call or any thing you may have to do to get into position to make a killing shot. My recommendations would be to put that thing on a stand on a loose spring or something so it can blow in the wind or tie a string to it or something/anything to get it as far away from you as possible.

Now I am not trying to put you ideas down but I would hate to read the post with you saying that you lost a boot or more valuable items or appendages because you had a fake rabbit strapped to your foot! Then again, there are some people that call that entertainment.

JD IN ALBERTA

We can' t use handguns up here for anything but target shooting, at a range. I would love to go for varmints with a sidearm, but have to rely on my trusty .22 mag rifle instead.
Not that there' s anything wrong with that[8D]

Howler

Well, Pyral, as far as the coyote coming in from behind me undetected, it will have to get by my camara man, or woman(wife) first, as I will have that person set up behind me trying to film me and the coyote as it comes in. Again, I hunt some very open country,as in no trees. The tallest cover for them to hide in is soap weed or yucca. I often see the coyote before even calling them in. So this will help. As far as worrying about my movement, well, lets just say, I can usually get my rifle in postion for a shot, which is usually less than 50 yrds. by the time I fire , so the handgun will be simple to have positioned. I' ve been calling coyotes for about 17 years and am looking to add some new excitement into the game, that' s why I took a couple of them last year with the bow, just more challenge and more excitement. Also, I and several other callers I know have had coyotes actually charge on in when they spotted movement, not as in decoy movement, but just moving slightly for a shot kind of movement, so, not all movement scares them away, but, untimely and too much movement often spooks them away for sure. And, if I miss on a hard charger and it keeps on coming and gets my decoy off my foot, well, it can have it, as I' ll probably be looking to clean my shorts out anyways

hotgunner21

sometimes I use my 22 short for small animals and it is so much fun, it harder but when you get something you have a greater sense of accomplishment than with a rifle.